Hanging, collapsible spring wire open cylinder for specific use at the beach to hand from a public beach shower stem head to provide a lightweight, portable privacy enclosure for changing out of a bathing suit to dry clothes

ABSTRACT

An individual portable enclosure specifically designed to be used at a public beach shower. The enclosure hangs on the shower head stem of an outdoor post shower. The enclosure is made from a collapsible spiral spring steel frame, wrapped in lightweight plastic material. This product is specifically designed to be extremely light weight, carried on and off the beach in a small package and easily constructed for use with its spring steel design. By simply hanging the “S” hook on the shower head stem, the enclosure stretches towards the ground. Its ease of use, simplistic lightweight construction provides immediate temporary cover for showering and changing out of a wet bathing suit. The two sewn in Velcro straps add stability to the invention when attached around the vertical shower post. Inside the open sphere are sewn in pockets to hold shampoo and soap.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related in general to portable privacy enclosures for changing clothes and outdoor portable shower enclosures. This invention incorporates both a personal portable enclosure for showering and changing clothes with an emphasis on showering as there are more clothes changing tents then those designed to be incorporated with outdoor showering. This invention is specifically designed for use in venues where there are “open air” public showers with restricted space requiring ease of use and simplicity so that the device may be opened and closed in seconds for use and storage and transportation. Using spring metal the shower changer may be opened and closed very quickly with no need for special skills or manual dexterity. This portable shower changer has been specifically designed to be used in conjunction with free standing shower poles at public venues where enclosures do not exist.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many public beaches, lakes and swimming areas have outdoor showering stations that are “open air” and offer no individual privacy. While you can shower outside at these stations, changing at the same time is not an option. In the past, after showering, people have had to find hiding places behind open car doors, bushes or even have had others hold the towels to hide them. Swimmers and surfers have had to wrap towels around their waists, over wet suits, pull down the wet suit, and then change in to dry clothing, and some time exposing themselves in public. Open car doors only provide cover to one side of the body; towels often fall off bodies trying to change. Other clothes changers are large and cumbersome and not designed for individual portability or for showering.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

Many types of portable enclosures are presently invented ranging from conventional tents completely enclosed or self-contained showering structures. They are large structures or must be secured to the ground and are often fully enclosed. None are self-supporting or adjustable in height. They are impractical due to their large size, weight or hardware components necessary to assemble into a self-supporting enclosure. “Personal Changing Tent” U.S. application Ser. No. 11/007,788, by Danilova requires the person inside to hold-up the enclosure by wearing the invention. Her invention is more like a costume and is supported by the user and closed at the top around the neck and is not intended for use as a showering enclosure. U.S. Pat. No. 1,803,626 “Collapsible portable dressing room” by Lasley; or cylindrical tent supported from a round frame hoisted upon an overhanging member U.S. Pat. No. 3,498,305 “Tent” by Hulin; or an enclosure supported by telescopically extendible post U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,980 “Collapsible cubicle” by Walter Ferrier; or dressing room supported by angular stakes U.S. Pat. No. 1,925,467 by Sinning, making them inconvenient, unsuitable and impractical for use in an outdoor public shower setting. Even a simple portable tent changing structure is bulky and may call for supports that aren't appropriate for use on hard pavement surface or for showering in confined areas such as an outdoor open air beach shower areas where people may be using other showers on both sides of the invention.

Some types of portable enclosures for a changing clothes are presently invented make it impossible to take of clothes over the head within the changer, if needed, as enclosure supported by a rectangular neck piece held in place by a head strap U.S. Pat. No. 1,466,166 “Portable dressing tent” by Hodgson; or dressing chamber, of hexagonal cross section, which is of fabric supported from a hexagonal frame suspended from a cap worn by the user U.S. Pat. No. 1,804,190 “Portable dressing shield” by Wendel.

There is no known spring metal self-opening portable, expandable devices which can stand on its own or adjusted in height by a single, adjustable supporting strap to provide complete privacy for changing clothes attachable to a pole shower for additional support, folds quickly for transportation, opens/closes in seconds, inexpensive to manufacture, simple in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An individual portable enclosure specifically designed to be used at a public beach shower. The enclosure hangs on the shower head stem of an outdoor post shower. The enclosure is made from a collapsible spiral spring steel frame, wrapped in lightweight plastic material. This product is specifically designed to be extremely light weight, carried on and off the beach in a small package and easily constructed for use with its spring metal design. By simply hanging the “S” hook on the shower head stem, the enclosure stretches towards the ground. Its ease of use, simplistic lightweight construction provides immediate temporary cover for showering and changing out of a wet bathing suit. The two sewn in Velcro straps add stability to the invention when attached around the vertical shower post. Inside the open sphere are sewn in pockets to hold shampoo and soap. The enclosure shield effectively secluding the figure of the person from view. The ready portability ease of erection, and privacy afforded by devices of the present invention render them particularly useful at the beaches, lakes and wherever other facilities are not readily available to hide one from public view during a shower and change of clothing.

BRIEF SUMMERY OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENT

Summary, a pop up and collapsible cylindrical in shape enclosure including: collapsible flexible spring metal loop members, having an expanded position and collapsed position; water resistant fabric material covering the spring metal structure in an expanded state and collapsible with the spring metal loops being compressed in its collapsible state by pushing down on the top loop member while supporting the bottom loop member so that the fabric and metal loops members compress and are collapse onto themselves. In its full expanded position ready for use, it can be secured to by two Velcro straps on its inside position vertical to the shower post for stability. The shower “post” is the metal, concrete or wood post structure which supports a water line from the ground vertically to the top of the post where a shower head is attached. The invention is designed to work best with an outdoor open air shower constructed with a post design. When not in use, the invention can be collapsed by compressing the spring metal rings by hand or against the ground and securing it in the closed position if preferred, by using the attached Velcro straps to wrap around the compressed rings keeping it in a flat cylindrical position and placing it inside the material carrying case.

From the foregoing general description, the invention achieves, as a major and important objective, a portable enclosure which in conjunction with an upright outdoor public post shower, can provide a quick private enclosure adjustable in height for both showering and changing.

An additional objective of the invention is to provide a portable enclosure which can be manufactured very inexpensively, and which can be transported easily, and used independently standing upright if required.

In the accompanying drawing a preferred form of the invention has been shown in said drawing:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows exploded, perspective view of pop up cubicle, cylindrical in shape, being in its functional condition;

FIG. 2 shows exploded, perspective view of pop up cubicle, cylindrical in shape, being in its functional condition with a person inside indicated in broken outline;

FIG. 3 shows a front perspective view of the pop up cubicle;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective side view of flexible enclosure of the cubicle in its collapsed condition;

FIG. 5 shows a collapsed/compressed perspective view of the enclosure;

FIG. 6 shows the carry bag for transporting the cubicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT

The pop up spring metal cylindrical cubicle FIG. 1 included lightweight nontransparent fabric material, suggested polyester or nylon.

FIG. 2, the length of the tubular portion 1 generally forty eight inches long, adjustable in height to cover 2 a grown person, as indicated in broken lines outline.

FIG. 3, a front view of the cylindrical cubicle shows, in broken outline the inside two pockets 1 and 1 a sewn into the inside of the cubicle to hold shampoo or soap. The cylindrical cubicle can be raised for a taller person using the adjustable lift strap 2 which is generally 36 inches attached/sewn into the material at the top back side of the cylindrical cubicle The top part of the adjustable strap is attachable to the top of the shower head flange by placing 3 an S-hook through 4 one of the eight grommet openings in the adjustable strap.

FIG. 4, depicts a side view of the cubicle showing the two Velcro Straps 1 and 1 a, used to attach the cubicle for stability to the vertical pole of a post shower.

FIG. 5, depicts the enclosure in a collapsed compressed position.

FIG. 6, with the cubicle in its compressed condition, it can be easy fitted into the carrier bag 1 which is closable by means of a 2 zipper. The carrier bag with its contents, can be flung over a user's shoulder with the sewn in 3 bag straps which traverse the entire carrying bag for additional strength to conveniently transport to a new location. 

1. A spring steel and plastic material collapsible portable shower/changer enclosure open at both ends.
 2. (canceled)
 3. An outdoor shower/changer designed to hang from an outdoor public shower head and attachable by Velcro straps to the vertical shower pole.
 4. (canceled)
 5. (canceled)
 6. (canceled)
 7. A single adjustable hanger strap on the top makes the enclosure adjustable in height.
 8. (canceled)
 9. (canceled) 